"Hurricane Melissa devastated Jamaica on Tuesday, October 28, as the historic storm slammed into the island's western coast. The first-ever Category 5 hurricane to hit Jamaica, Melissa made landfall near New Hope on Tuesday afternoon, bringing maximum sustained winds of 185 mph. Jamaica's capital of Kingston was spared the worst of the storm's impact, but areas on the western side of the island saw "total devastation," according to Daryl Vaz, the Jamaican Minister of Energy, Transport and Telecommunications."
"With sweeping power outages and phone and internet lines down, officials are still unable to fully assess the damage. Early reports, however, show intense flooding with cars and houses completely submerged. "The storm weakened into a Category 3 hurricane as it made landfall in Cuba on Wednesday, reaching maximum sustained winds near 120 mph, according to AccuWeather. Storm surges in Cuba could reach up to 10 to 15 feet, with the island receiving 2 to 3 feet of rain."
Hurricane Melissa struck Jamaica's western coast on October 28 as the first-ever Category 5 hurricane to hit the island, making landfall near New Hope with maximum sustained winds of 185 mph. Western areas experienced total devastation, while Kingston largely escaped the worst. Western Jamaica faces a communications blackout, widespread power outages and cut phone and internet lines, hampering damage assessment. Early reports indicate intense flooding with submerged cars and houses, leaving residents and tourists stranded. The storm weakened to Category 3 over Cuba, where storm surges of 10–15 feet and 2–3 feet of rain risk life-threatening flooding and mudslides. The system is forecast to weaken but remain destructive near The Bahamas.
Read at Conde Nast Traveler
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